New legislation prepares Americans for extreme weather and changing climate

Across the country, the impacts of climate change are taking a toll on our wildlife and natural resources. And after a year of record-setting extreme weather events across our nation, efforts to help our wildlife and natural resources survive these changes have never been more critical.

Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Max Baucus (Mont.) are taking the lead in addressing this critical issue and today introduced legislation designed to protect American communities, wildlife and natural habitat from the increasingly destructive effects of climate change.

The non-regulatory bill, the Securing America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, outlines the countless benefits that healthy natural resources provide to our country’s safety, economy and well being, and underscores the urgent need to help them adapt to a more hostile climate and provides a road map to do so.

WASHINGTON (11/16/2011) -

The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO at Defenders of Wildlife:

“Our nation has recently experienced a number of tragic weather events, and the extreme floods, drought and wildfires that took place this year have long been predicted as indicators of climate change. As the world continues to warm, unpredictable and extreme weather events join a growing list of threats to our natural resources and the economies that depend on them. If we want to protect American communities, wildlife and resources such as safe drinking water from the growing threats of a changing climate, it’s critical we take action now.

“Sens. Whitehouse and Baucus offer a common-sense approach for stimulating federal and state collaboration designed to meet the impacts of climate change head-on. They know that helping our natural resources adapt to a changing climate now will save us time, money and energy down the road. When we rebuild wetlands to create buffers against storms or restore vital watersheds to ensure we have clean drinking water, we are helping to strengthen our natural defenses while also making an investment in our communities and our country.

“We may not know exactly what lies ahead, but by increasing the likelihood of survival for our communities, wildlife and natural resources amidst the unavoidable effects of climate change, the SAFE Act will better position America to respond to an uncertain future.”